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. 2021 May 12;18(10):5134.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18105134.

Communicative Interaction with and without Eye-Gaze Technology between Children and Youths with Complex Needs and Their Communication Partners

Yu-Hsin Hsieh  1 , Maria Borgestig  2 , Deepika Gopalarao  3 , Joy McGowan  4 , Mats Granlund  5 , Ai-Wen Hwang  6   7 , Helena Hemmingsson  1
Affiliations

Communicative Interaction with and without Eye-Gaze Technology between Children and Youths with Complex Needs and Their Communication Partners

Yu-Hsin Hsieh et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Use of eye-gaze assistive technology (EGAT) provides children/youths with severe motor and speech impairments communication opportunities by using eyes to control a communication interface on a computer. However, knowledge about how using EGAT contributes to communication and influences dyadic interaction remains limited.

Aim: By video-coding dyadic interaction sequences, this study investigates the impacts of employing EGAT, compared to the Non-EGAT condition on the dyadic communicative interaction.

Method: Participants were six dyads with children/youths aged 4-19 years having severe physical disabilities and complex communication needs. A total of 12 film clips of dyadic communication activities with and without EGAT in natural contexts were included. Based on a systematic coding scheme, dyadic communication behaviors were coded to determine the interactional structure and communicative functions. Data were analyzed using a three-tiered method combining group and individual analysis.

Results: When using EGAT, children/youths increased initiations in communicative interactions and tended to provide more information, while communication partners made fewer communicative turns, initiations, and requests compared to the Non-EGAT condition. Communication activities, eye-control skills, and communication abilities could influence dyadic interaction.

Conclusion: Use of EGAT shows potential to support communicative interaction by increasing children's initiations and intelligibility, and facilitating symmetrical communication between dyads.

Keywords: communicative interaction; complex communication needs; eye-gaze controlled computer; severe physical disabilities.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Example of EGAT with adapted communication page.
Figure 2
Figure 2
An example of video coding and visual analysis for moves and communicative functions. Note. It is a screen copy from the results of the Noldus Observer XT 14.0.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Interrelationships between moves, communicative functions and modes in children and youths with complex needs: (a) Interrelationships between moves (initiation and response) and communicative functions in the eye-gaze assistive technology (EGAT) and the non eye-gaze assistive technology (NEGAT) conditions; (b,c) Interrelationships between communicative functions and modes in the EGAT (b) and the NEGAT (c) conditions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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